Sophia Loren (Italian pronunciation: [soˈfiːa ˈlɔːren]; born Sofia Villani Scicolone [soˈfiːa vilˈlaːni ʃikoˈloːne]; 20 September 1934) is an Italian actress. Loren is widely recognized as Italy's most renowned and honored actress.
After entering a beauty pageant in 1949 aged 14, Loren was encouraged to enroll in acting lessons and appeared in several 'bit parts' and minor roles until the late 1950s where Loren's five-picture contract with Paramount launched her career as an international movie star. Notable film appearances around this time including; Houseboat, That Kind of Woman and It Started in Naples.
It was not until her deglamorized performance as Cesira in Vittorio De Sica's Two Women that confirmed her status as an acclaimed actress. Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1962 for her performance which made Loren the first artist to win an Oscar for a foreign-language performance. Later notable films include El Cid, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Marriage Italian-Style (for which she was nominated for a second Oscar), Sunflower and The Voyage. After starting a family in the early 1970s, Loren spent less time on her acting career and chose to make only occasional film appearances. In later years, she has appeared in American blockbusters such as Grumpier Old Men and Nine.
As well as her Academy Award, Loren has also been awarded a Grammy Award, five special Golden Globes, a BAFTA Award, a Laurel Award as well as the Honorary Academy Award in 1991. In 1995, she received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievements, one of many such awards.
Loren was born in the Clinica Regina Margherita in Rome, Italy, daughter of Romilda Villani (1914–1991) and Riccardo Scicolone, a construction engineer. Scicolone refused to marry Villani, leaving Romilda, a piano teacher and aspiring actress, without support. Loren's parents had another child together, her sister Anna Maria Villani Scicolone, in 1938. Loren has two younger paternal half-brothers, Giuliano and Giuseppe. Romilda, Sofia and Maria lived with Loren's grandmother in Pozzuoli, near Naples.
During World War II, the harbour and munitions plant in Pozzuoli was a frequent bombing target of the Allies. During one raid, as Loren ran to the shelter, she was struck by shrapnel and wounded in the chin. After that, the family moved to Naples, where they were taken in by distant relatives.
After the war, Loren and her family returned to Pozzuoli. Grandmother Luisa opened a pub in their living room, selling homemade cherry liquor. Villani played the piano, Maria sang and Loren waited on tables and washed dishes. The place was very popular with the American GIs stationed nearby.
When she was 14 years old, Loren entered a beauty pageant, Miss Italia 1950 and, while not winning, was selected as one of the finalists. Later, she enrolled in acting class and was selected as an extra in Mervyn LeRoy's film Quo Vadis (1951), launching her career as a motion picture actress.

Sophia Loren (born Sofia Villani Scicolone 20 September 1934) is an Italian film actress. She began her career at age 14 after entering a beauty pageant in 1949. Encouraged to enroll in acting lessons, Loren appeared in several bit parts and minor roles until the late 1950s when Loren's five-picture contract with Paramount launched her international career. Notable film appearances around this time include Houseboat, That Kind of Woman and It Started in Naples.

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